Battle of Aden

The Battle of Aden (2015) was the battle for control of the Yemeni city of Aden between the Houthis and Yemeni Army units loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh on one side, and local residents and Yemeni Army troops loyal to President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi on the other. The first major battle of the Yemeni Civil War, it saw the brief loss than recapture of the city by pro-Hadi forces and solidified the regime's control of the region.

Background
The Houthis took control of large parts of Yemen throughout 2014, and in early 2015 they entered Sana'a and forced the government of President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi to adopt new reforms. Hadi and his entire cabinet resented the Houthis trying to force themselves into the government and resigned en masse. Hadi was placed under house arrest, but was eventually able to escape and made his way out of Yemen on a boat to Saudi Arabia.

When fighting over the Aden International Airport broke out, the Houthi-dominated Revolutionary Committee of Yemen proclaimed a "general mobilization" against the Hadi remnants. They launched an offensive against Aden with support of some elements of the Yemeni Army in March 2015.

Early fighting
The fighting spread on March 25, when army units loyal to Saleh seized control of several army bases in the city and the airport from pro-Hadi fighters. Meanwhile, the Houthis were advancing on the port city from then north and reached the outskirts. Hadi's whereabouts were unknown until March 26, when he arrived in Saudi Arabia and endorsed the air campaign it launched hours earlier.